Kneel Before Me
by Vanui
Summary: This time, it was just them. Just the two of them in their small world, even if Reika didn't know she was there.


It was just them two, alone, in the quiet emptiness of the student council room. Reika sat behind a table stacked with papers, the setting sunlight highlighting the blue hair that cascaded down her shoulders, and Nao leaned against the wall behind the girl, watching her and noting that fact. She had entered quietly; so quietly, in fact, that Reika had no idea that she was there. The vice president of the student council was absorbed in her work and incapable of taking notice of any presence other than the large piles of paper that loomed over her head.

She thought it was rather cute that her childhood friend attempted to attack the work by herself, and while she was tempted to offer her aid, Nao was quite comfortable with the private view she had of Reika. When was the last time she had taken the time to simply stand back and gaze at how her friend had matured, grown and bloomed since their middle school years? Granted, she'd stared at Reika before, but there was always someone or something trying to obstruct her gazing. This time, it was just them. Just the two of them in their small world, even if Reika didn't know she was there.

As much as she loved her other friends, she had long wished for a moment where Miyuki, Akane, and Yayoi would give her the space she needed to... to...

To do what? No, her friends gave her plenty of space and she couldn't blame them for her own cowardice. She had had plenty of chances to catch Reika on her own, but she never took them, and even on the days it was just the two of them, alone, together, she did nothing. She tried, though, and the words would catch in her throat, the impulses would freeze in her veins, and then she'd give up.

Was it wrong of her to want for something more between Reika and herself? If she forgot, for the moment, the problem of gender, then was there anything wrong with her want, her need, for her? She knew she was absolutely terrified of changing their comfortable, time-earned relationship from childhood friends to lovers, and that if she attempted to do so, that relationship would go from childhood friends to nothing.

A rational part of her mind told her that Reika would never be disgusted with her feelings, even if she did not feel the same, and that their friendship would still remain, albeit uncomfortable and awkward for some span of time.

Her mind flitted back in forth between memories of their younger days and recent occurrences. One particular one, a memory from one of their very early, early days, stood out to Nao as she watched Reika with half lidded eyes, arms folded and back comfortably nestled against the wall.

They were... She couldn't quite remember their exact ages. But she knew that they had been playing around in a field. They were digging for treasure, and since they had only one shovel, Nao insisted that Reika be the one to use it. Being the knucklehead that she was, she had grabbed a rock from nearby and began stabbing the dirt ground, trying to dig.

Predictably, her knuckles brushed up against something sharp in the ground and she began to bleed.

It didn't hurt much, really, and the wound paled in comparison to the various scratches and bruises she had retained from playing soccer and tag with other children. Reika, however, viewed the wound with a sort of childish seriousness before grabbing her wounded hand and placing a light kiss over it.

She had flushed ten different shades of red that day. Protested too, that the blood was unsanitary ("icky and dirty" to quote). But Reika didn't mind.

If it was for Nao, Reika would do it. And, of course, if it was for Reika, Nao would do it.

The question lay behind motive: was it all platonic love? Or was Nao alone in her passionate feelings?

Time had made it hard to differentiate between the two. They had been together for so long that affection and touches could all be traced back to their title of childhood friends. The situation frustrated Nao to no end. She had so much to gain if she wasn't mistaken with the signs Reika had shown. On the flipside, she had everything to lose if she was wrong.

A harsh intake of breath startled Nao from her ponderings, and she looked up. Setting her pen down, Reika lifted her hand up and sighed at the small red line of a papercut on the back of her knuckle. The sight of blood jolted Nao away from the wall, and before she even knew what she was doing, she leaned over the back of the chair and grabbed the hand. Reika jumped at the contact, stunned at the sudden appearance of her friend, but she had no time to think that thought before Nao spun the chair around, knelt on the ground and kissed the wounded knuckle in her grasp.

Everything happened so quickly that the two of them froze in their places, alone, together, and confused. Then Reika started to stutter something about the blood being unsanitary. Nao, lips curving against her hand, recognized the words, having said the same things herself long ago, and decided they were unnecessary.

Standing up, keeping Reika's hand in her grip, she tilted forward and kissed her in mid sentence.

* * *

A/N: Something short, spur of the moment. Inspired by the last photo in a pixiv photo set. ID: 27563634

Unbeta'd, so if it's awful, well. Excuse me. I had fun writing without dialogue.

(I have actually never watched a single episode of Smile Precure shhh)


End file.
